"Saturday Night Fever" Better Left Forgotten


     When this movie was first referenced in Glee, both my sister and I thought it would be perfect to watch. It's a musical, it has disco songs that we liked, and when both Will Schuester and Sue Sylvester described it as  "the soundtrack that defined a generation" we both knew we had to see if the hype was true. I mean they literally described it as a coming-of-age film about finally getting off your ass and working towards your dream. Little did we know, that they said that with perhaps the most rose-tinted glasses humanly possible.

    Where do I start? It's the rape, I'm going to be honest with you I think it's important that unlike Glee I rip the bandaid right off. This movie ends on an extremely disturbing and depressing note. After attempting to force himself onto Stephanie Tony sits in the front seat as he does nothing while his friends rape and run a train on Annette. Keep in mind this girl is drugged out of her mind (which they know), Tony has spurned her advances at every turn, and even after she's crying from being assaulted he still calls her a cunt. Then they have the audacity for her to be held by one of her rapists while one of Tony's friends kill herself. I mean at least they have the decency for Stephanie to call Tony out for the attempted rape, but even then they attempt a friendship right after that.

    I don't know this whole movie's a mess. Like as someone watching this in the 21st century it's hard for me to watch this and go wow, this movie really is fucking weird. I mean it's like they wanted Tony's friends to hit the big three, racism, sexism and homophobia. I'm not kidding they go out of their way to make these bizarre comments and jokes unprompted and it just made my sister and I uncomfortable throughout. Even if Tony never participates in any of these actions (other than the rape) he still hangs arounds these friends and is complicit in their actions. While I understand compared to the other people during the time, especially during the dance competition, Tony is a good person, it just doesn't translate to today. Him giving the trophy to much better, but not white dancers is the least he can do all things considered.

    The worst part about this movie is, it's so boring. If I described to you the plot, you'd think it tops out at an hour at best. It's Tony doing like three or four dance routines, and that's it. The soundtrack is by far the only good thing about this film, I mean it's not Tony's dancing, or his chemistry with Stephanie, which both feel stiff. This movie is literally Tony fucking around in the stereotypical Italian-American deadbeat fashion, with some dance scenes sprinkled in. I mean I went on my phone for most of it and I understood the whole plot. Sure the whole thing is supposed to be about how Tony needs to get his life together, and stop fucking around or he'll end up dead or in a dead-end, but also the movie is really boring.

Final Score: 30/100

    The only reason this movie isn't lower is because the soundtrack is legitimately very good. The only issue is that it's not as prominent as it should be, especially for a film with as thin as a plot as it has. I mean this movie's so problematic I'm not sure it should ever even be remade to not have all of the shitty parts surgically removed, because frankly there are probably movies more deserving of a remake. It's certainly a fever I'll give you that, but like a fever dream because it ends so abruptly and it's just plain shitty. There is no reason to watch this movie, go watch the Glee episode where they just do the songs, or just listen to the soundtrack, because there's a reason that's the only lasting legacy of this film.

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